I planted seeds from marigolds I grew from a previous season. They are all orange. What should I do to get more color from the marigolds?

ANSWERS

NikkiCertified GKH Gardening Expert

If the parent plants were not orange and their seeds grow orange plants, then they were probably hybrids that revert back to orange when grown from seed. Some breeders develop the flowers this way to keep their variety exclusive. If you would like to grow marigolds from seed that stay multi-colored, you will need to find a multi-colored, non-hybrid variety and collect seeds from those plants.

I deadheaded all my marigolds last year and have planted them in seedling trays by the color of their blossoms. All but one have sprouted. Can some varieties take much longer than others? It looks like I’ll have lots of yellow, small and large orange flowers, but may not get any of the bi-color dark orange.

ANSWERS

NikkiCertified GKH Gardening Expert

It may be that some of the varieties you harvested were hybrids, which will not germinate. Bi-color marigolds especially tend to be hybrids. These need to be propagated by other methods.

Can I plant marigolds, celery and mint in a 40 cm pot? Please give me an answer as quickly as you can.

ANSWERS

HeatherCertified GKH Gardening Expert

I would not recommend planting them all together in one pot that size. The marigolds and mint would be fine in a pot of that size together, but I would recommend a 5 gallon bucket (or comparable size pot) for the celery.

I have seen many references to the fact the marigolds emit a scent which is noxious to ‘bugs’ and keeps them away from vegetables such as tomatoes. I assume that they do not keep pollinating insects away from the tomatoes. Is this true?

ANSWERS

NikkiCertified GKH Gardening Expert

It is true that many insect pests, such as white flies, are put off by the smell of marigold plants. However, there are numerous pollinators (like bees) and predatory insects (like hover flies, which eat aphids) that are actually attracted to marigolds. Needless to say, it will not keep away important pollinators and may even attract other beneficial insects that feed on harmful ones.